Thursday, March 17, 2011

Unification day photos

17 March, 2011
Happy 150th anniversary Italy.  The country is celebrating its unification today along with St. Patrick's day. I took an early morning, post-rain walk with Bacco and here, with a bit of exposure tricks is what we saw.
Gran Sasso and surrounding mountain chain south in Abruzzo

Bacco in the wheat field

More wheat for Barilla pasta, growing tall with the recent rains

A look back at Nascondiglio in the middle and the winery on the right

Festa for the unification of Italy at Nascondiglio di Bacco

Even the roman legion showed up

Fixing Alto Adige or Friuli, not sure

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Legno!!! We have barrels. Paint job

15 March
Work goes on and the newest vineyard with the Bruni clone 54 is now tied up, at least on the trunks.  We have warm weather coming, so the rest of the vine tying can commence when the sap starts flowing in the vines.
We finally got our barrels, tonneau and botte delivered, as usual 2 weeks later than promised and started loading them up with wine.  It was definitely a satisfying and "finally!" moment.
From top to bottom, the tonneau, which are 500 liter barrels, followed by normal barrels, their last time clean, then the 2500 liter Botte with the left one filling up with Cabernet Sauvignon and Montepulciano to make an Offida Rosso DOCG wine and finally barrels filled and marked with their contents.
I am happier now :)
We have finally changed the breakfast room from Meconium Green to a nice shade of Salmon lite picked out by our designer Rosana during her visit here.  It looks much better, brighter and more welcoming.  See what you think.

Italy is celebrating 150 years of existence as a quasi unified country (I say quasi, because each region has its own personality and sense of self, a bit more than the US, I think).  It is occurring on St. Patrick's Day, so finally there will be italians celebrating St. Pat's here!  I think I will hit one of the local live music venues and tip back a Guinness and a Peroni's.